Safe
by Gazlover12-Canada
Summary: A young Kiku falls ill with a dreadful fever, only to be taken care of by his older brother. One-shot, brotherly ChinaxJapan, East Asia Family included.


Kiku couldn't really think straight. All he knew was that there was a pain in his head that resembled someone scraping glass across his skull. Sometimes his world was terribly cold, and other times it was so blazing hot that the child felt as if he'd melt. Every so often it was hard to breathe, and he found himself struggling to take in gulps of air as he tried to cough up the nasty phlegm that had built up in his lungs. His throat also felt like someone had scraped sandpaper across it.

It was hard to tell what was going on around him. Sometimes he heard voices, and he was pretty sure that they were his siblings. He couldn't exactly make out what they were saying, but he thought that maybe they were talking to him, mostly in soothing tones. He could make out Yao's voice the most…if he was actually hearing correctly.

One time he was conscious enough to feel someone sitting him halfway up. A cool hand felt his face, and then his chin was tilted up, a cup pressing itself to his dry lips. A liquid tasting of ground bitter herbs hit his tongue, and he pressed his lips closed. No matter where he tilted his head the cup followed.

"You must drink the tea Kiku…it will help." He heard a faint voice, one that he recognized.

"No onii-chan." He whined hoarsely.

"Please Kiku, you must," Yao urged again. Finally Kiku managed to take a few sips. "There, good boy. Go back to sleep aru."

That was the only time he was fully conscious for a while. It felt like days had passed. Sometimes he would feel sunlight hitting his face from the windows, and other times he'd hear the night owls hooting and the crickets chirping.

Often he could make out his other siblings talking to him. Taiwan begged him to get better, South Korea said something about not scarring aniki, Hong Kong read something from a story book to him, ect. It was hard to remember most of their conversations, but the voices did soothe him.

Other times he saw scary images in his mind. Nightmares full of screaming, blood, and eerie howling. On occasion he'd let out a whimper, only to be calmed by a gentle hand running through his hair. Someone also wiped at his face with a cloth, and more tea was forced down his throat. As bitter as it tasted, it still helped sooth his burning throat.

Eventually Kiku came to full awareness. The pain in his head was gone, and his throat felt mostly fine, if not a bit dry. He no longer felt so hot, but instead a normal temperature. The child realized that he was wrapped in someone's arms, his face buried into a warm chest. He could immediately tell from the comforting smell that it was Yao. Sleeping around them were his other siblings, and the only sound one could hear was their steady breathing.

By the looks of it, the time was only early morning. He shifted slightly, trying to escape from the hold. When his tummy growled he realized that he was quite hungry. Breakfast sounded very good right now…as did a bath, judging by how damp his hair was from sweat.

Sensing the younger nation's movements, Yao's eyes suddenly opened. When he saw that Kiku was awake, he immediately reached out and felt Kiku's face and neck. As he did so, he smiled brightly.

"Oh thank goodness, your fever is gone!" He exclaimed happily, crushing Kiku to his chest. "You had me so worried aru."

"I was sick…" Kiku said, stating rather than asking, wiggling from his older brother's grip. "It didn't feel good."

"Of course it didn't feel good," Yao agreed. "You were burning with a fever and cough for almost a week now. I thought you would never come out of it."

Kiku didn't know what to say, so he didn't reply. Instead he rubbed at his eyes, leaning back against his brother.

"How are you feeling right now Kiku?"

"Only tired," Kiku responded quietly. Truthfully he was still a bit dizzy, but besides that he was only tired and weak. "...And hungry."

"I'll make you a small breakfast. We'll have to start lightly...so that the food doesn't make you feel sicker," Yao told him. "Go back to sleep while I make breakfast."

Kiku was promptly tucked back into his warm bed, falling back into a light sleep until his delicious breakfast was ready.

The rest of the day went by slowly but peacefully. The other children were excited that Kiku was feeling better, but Yao made them stay out of the bedroom most of the time in order to give him some peace. He sent them out into the garden to work on their studies.

Meanwhile, Kiku stayed rested in bed. Yao mostly stayed by his side, with the exception of checking on the others every so often to make sure they behaved. Mostly Kiku slept, but sometimes he would stay awake for a few minutes while Yao told him stories. He also got a bath, which made him feel much better now that he was clean and dressed in fresh clothes.

It wasn't often that he got sick. Usually he preferred being independent and perhaps a bit isolated from the others. He had to admit though, it was really nice to have his older brother all to himself. It reminded him of the older days, when it was only him and Yao living together.

The only downside was that Yao made him drink the tea that had ancient Chinese medicine in it, which tasted terrible. Eventually Kiku got tired of staying in bed, wanting to do something productive and get back to doing normal things. Yao wouldn't let him though, since he was still far from better. Instead he brought in some paper and ink, allowing Kiku to work on his writing for a little bit. When he showed signs of drowsiness they were taken away, and he was forced to rest once again.

That night Kiku slept soundly, wrapped in his big brother's arms again.

He felt safe and loved.

For the moment, everything was fine.

**a/n:**

**My big brother pointed out that I only ever write about England and America, which got me thinking. Then this was born...because recently I've been in a brotherly China and Japan phase. This is my first time writing about them, so sorry if I was off on characterization and stuff. Hopefully at least some of you liked it!**

**(Btw, Kiku was just sick, nothing more nothing less. It had nothing to do with any country or historical things)**

**For those of you who are reading my Worth It stuff, I'm working on that right now! Be prepared for an update for The Family Baby!**


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